Romney prepares to throw Iowa under the bus

Romney's campaign appears to be abandoning any hope of winning the Iowa caucus. Romney will probably do well in New Hampshire, but he won't be well received in South Carolina. If some other candidate takes Iowa and South Carolina, the money will begin to flow to them.

Mr. Romney’s campaign said he would still compete in Iowa’s caucuses, now slated for February, 2012. But the former Massachusetts governor’s absence from the Aug. 13 straw poll will likely diminish his chances, some Iowa officials say, while raising the odds that whoever wins the poll will be best positioned to claim the status as Mr. Romney’s top rival for the nomination…

According to 2008 election-day surveys, 60% of Iowa caucus-goers called themselves evangelical or born-again Christians. In the New Hampshire primary, the figure was 23%. In the general election that year, about a quarter of voters in both parties were evangelical Christians.